how2heroes publishes a weekly e-newsletter for subscribers showcasing the website’s new and seasonal video content. The newsletter is known and loved for its beautiful food photography and inspirational recipes. However it is time consuming to design and develop each week. Rival was asked to take a look at the architecture and design of the newsletter and come up with ideas on how to make it more efficient without taking away from visual impact. Of utmost importance was an excellent user experience, ensuring readers are engaged and inspired to click through and watch videos.

WHAT WE DID:

Flexible Grid: Each newsletter architecture includes mix and match components that can be pulled into any template in any layout order. This gives the designer flexibility and enables the newsletter to have a visual hierarchy of elements.

Balance of Photography & Links: In order to include more how2s but not have the page too long and scrolling, we came up with a template that features one signature image to represent a section and then feature supporting links so not everything has a photo but you have an anchor image that sets the tone for the section.

Color-Coded Sections: Each topic is grouped by a color. Breaking grids into these sections gives users a visual cue for different types of content. These sections also create a visual hierarchy to help users “jump” to content of interest.

A New Top Level Navigation: To make access to the sections on the how2heroes website easier, the new email template now features a top navigation. The links can be updated weekly to help readers reach popular and seasonal content as well as special events and sweepstakes.

Over the next several weeks we will track the performance of the newsletter and improve it for optimal engagement and click-through. To see the design in action, click here to view the latest issue or subscribe to the how2heroes newsletter. We promise you will be inspired to cook, eat, & be merry!